December 11th – Assist Pack and Troop 101 at Honolulu Marathon

Submitted by Lion Joel Leo

On December 11th, 2022, the Hawaii Kai Lions assisted Cub Scout Pack 101 and Boy ScoutTroop 101, both of whom we charter, in some hard but fun & rewarding work at the 2022 Honolulu Marathon Aid Station at Maunalua Bay. The number of participants has increased greatly now that many of the pandemic restrictions have lifted, and our assistancewas warmly welcomed.

Beyond giving the scouts an opportunity to assist with an event in our community on the scale of the Honolulu Marathon, the marathon gives back to the scouts in the form of a significant monetary donation. This donation is enough to pay for the meeting places of both the cubs and the Boy Scouts for the entire upcoming year at Koko Head District Park, with some left over to defray the costs of other activities such as camping, hiking, and celebrations.

The Maunalua Bay aid station is one of the larger stations along the marathon route. The pack and troop need to be on site by 3AM on the day of the marathon to begin setting up, and require 60+ people over the course of the day to run the location, which is where the Hawaii Kai Lions Club was once again able to assist. The pack and troop are smaller than in previous years, so once again they requested assistance from the Lions that charter them, and once again we answered their call. Lions Kendrick Chang, Cynthia Chun, Ellsworth Fujii, Al Hayashibara, Marty Jorgensen, Eric Kvick, Marja Leivo, Joel Leo, Frances Lum, Appan Subramanian & CIS Niru answered the call. Our responsibilities included filling cups with water or Gatorade, handing out refreshments to marathon runners, and cheering them on as they passed by. As in years past, the elite runners passed the aid station long before our Lions arrived. By 7am when our Lions began arriving, many marathon runners were already passing or availing themselves of the aid station: newlyweds wearing wedding formals and holding hands, firefighters in full gear in honor of their fallen, marines in their gear, Hawaiians wearing nothing but their malo, and many other colorful participants. By 10:30AM, the aid station bay side was closing down and moving to the other side of the street. This year, the aid stations transitioned to a self-serve model at this point, so the scouts and Lions work was done. Kelly Holden and Jennifer Brink, the main coordinators from the scouts, once again expressed their sincerest thanks for our assistance.

Thank you once more to the Lions that committed their Sunday morning to assisting our pack and troop. Your work is appreciated and serves to ensure they can continue with another year of education, work, and fun for the scouts in our Hawaii Kai neighborhood.